Tempest of War
by Jalyss
Summary: It was inevitable, really, that it would all come down to this. All the world cared about was status and power, and it was wise not to forget such a fact. UlquiRuki. [TCTS rewrite]
1. I

_Hello readers~ I am back with the TCTS rewrite! This time I actually have some idea of a plot and better writing skills (hopefully). Thank you guys for sticking with me! A special thanks to IchiRuki-Ventus-11, punktorres, EternalWritersBlock, Ana cii Bunny, Can chan, and Sakura Yui for encouraging me to continue; this story is dedicated to you guys!_

_My apologies for this short introduction, but I'm still checking out the interest in this story. Anyway, I will keep the same characters, there's just been a shuffle around of their abilities and a change in the AU setting. It's still AU, but different from the original TCTS. This may also be a bit darker than the original, so you have been warned._

_I really should not have written this during final exam period... but all inspiration comes at the worst times. I have no beta-reader so please forgive my mistakes. Constructive criticism is always welcome (and needed!). _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach T^T (Random guy mentioned here is just for plot sake)_

* * *

"Are you in position?" a calm and collected voice spoke into the headpiece.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready."

"I'm good to go."

"Good, let us begin." He heard his partners mutter their affirmative. The tall male, hidden in the shadows on the neighbouring rooftop, peered at the building to see his male companion sneak around the corner out of sight. A moment later, a couple of flashes directed in his vicinity notified him that it was time to start his section.

With the outer guards taken care of, Ulquiorra Schiffer gracefully leapt off the roof, remaining in the shadows. He crept around the walls, keeping an eye out for any unforeseen guards. The coast was clear; he snuck into the building through the back door.

He saw the unconscious bodies on the floor and nodded to himself. Nel had been exceptionally quick. Perhaps this assignment would go without a hitch. The room itself was nothing outstanding, a dark and damp brick-laden area filled with long-term supplies. Even if someone decided to enter the room, there would be plenty of places for him to hide.

The dark-haired male moved to archway leading to the corridor. He carefully peered around the side, then ducked his head back in quickly. Two guards. That certainly wasn't mentioned in the layout. He'd have to deal with them quickly if they were going to make it out undetected.

He concentrated, eyes closed, feeling his Talent flow through him. _Focus_… Ulquiorra directed the power towards the two guards and sighed. Nel's was a lot quicker and a great deal more silent. If only she was around to deal with them. The garbled, but fairly quiet voices of the guards soon faded. "Two unexpected guards in the first sector. They have been dealt with," he said into the headpiece in monotone.

"So much for the 'thorough' layout they gave us. That's complete bullshit," a rough male voice replied.

"You know things are never as planned," a contemplative female voice commented. "Ne, Muru-chan, are there any more guards in your area?"

He felt nothing in the vicinity. "None, you can move on ahead. Give me another minute and you can continue, Pantera."

"Affirmative."

The emerald-eyed male focused back on the task at hand. He glanced at his watch. They had another 7 minutes before they had to get out of there. He moved fluidly through the corridors, keeping track of the number of unconscious guards. Ulquiorra stopped at a large wooden door with ornate brass handles and opened it. He abruptly flung himself inside the room, but to the side on the ground. Good thing too, or he'd have been impaled by a couple of very sharp, and probably poisoned, blades. He quickly drew his hands up, a barrier of water forming between him and his opponents that deflected more projectiles. His eyes took in two black-clad figures.

For someone who was loaded, the man lacked brains. Who hired un-Talented assassins to look after such a precious object?

With a snort, Ulquiorra pointed at both of the males, both were already slashing blades at him, and water swirled around, binding the two in the middle of the room, unable to move. A split second after, a blue-haired male burst through the window with a bright flash.

The raven-haired male released the water, allowing the liquid to pool on the floor. He looked down at the two assassins and looked back up at his companion.

"Tch, that was too easy." Grimmjow grinned and stretched his limbs.

"Naturally. The un-Talented are never a match," he replied, bored. "Gamuza should be here any second now…"

The wall to their right moved, a secret passage opening up. Two pairs of eyes landed on forest green hair.

Nel smiled at the two of them. "Ahh, Muru-chan, your planning is always spot on, huh?"

He nodded. "They expect nothing less." He motioned at the ornate steel door at the front of the room. "Come on, we have less than five minutes to get out of here."

Nel walked over to the door and opened it, unlocking the door with her Talent. She stepped aside and walked back to the door the green-eyed male had entered from. Grimmjow had taken watch back at the window, looking down.

There, in the middle of the luxurious room, was a skinny man with neat blond hair clutching an ancient looking book. His head jerked up at the sound of the door opening and hazel eyes met cold emerald. "Y-you're just teenagers! How could they stoop so low…" He stopped, choking, gasping even. "…w-what i-i-s… ngh…!"

"You should not take things that do not belong to you, Sato-san." He drew his power in, draining all the fluid from the man's body. "And you should know by now the world we live in. Your naïve way of thinking has no place in these times." He twisted his hand and Sato collapsed on the floor, dead. The liquid suspended in the air collapsed around the body when he relaxed his hand.

"The book, Gamuza," he said shortly.

Nel walked over and flicked her hand. The book sailed towards Grimmjow, who caught it and placed it in the leather bag around his waist. He glanced at his watch. "Two minutes, guys."

Ulquiorra pointed at the window. "Time to head back."

* * *

Morning broke and the stoic male reached out to turn off the alarm at his bedside table. He went through the typical morning routine, washing up, changing, and packing. In a span of ten minutes he left his bedroom, exiting into the dark brown carpeted hallway. He waited at the end of the hallway near the door to the staircase. Soon enough, his two companions arrived. "Grimmjow, Nel."

"G'morning, Ulqui-chan!" Nel piped up, a smile on her face. "I wonder what's for breakfast."

"Who cares? It's all edible anyway," replied the sky-haired male.

The trio headed down the staircase to the ground level. They walked through the corridors to the dining hall, Nel greeting a few people along the way. With Ulquiorra leading the way, the three of them headed to one of the corner tables and set down their bags.

"You two go first, I'll wait here." Ulquiorra pulled out his book and flipped through the pages.

"Alright!" Grimmjow headed towards the kitchen area with much enthusiasm. He was followed by Nel, who was amused.

Reading was one of his hobbies. There was much to learn and he wasn't sure how much time he had left to learn it all in. His eyes scanned the page, taking in as much as he could about human behaviour when a pair of hands covered his eyes. Before the intruder could speak, he put the book down and pulled the hands away from his eyes. "Hime-sama, I would appreciate it if you did not indulge in such menial activities," he said without looking at the female; he picked up his book again.

"You're no fun, Ulquiorra," the raven-haired girl replied, pouting slightly. She sat down next to him, placing her bag on the seat. "And is it really so hard to say 'Rukia'?"

"With your mannerisms and your family, it is only appropriate to address you as such."

She made a face which he did not see. "Anyway, how are you this morning? Are you ready for the fitness test?"

He thought back to the night before. "Fine, and the fitness test should be no problem."

After all, who would expect the likes of the three of them to be attending Japan's most prestigious Talent school, Tokyo Private Academy?


	2. II

_So, it's 4:30am and I'm just up for no reason..._ Exams_ are finally over and summer break can begin! This is a bit short too, but future chapters should be longer than this. If you have any suggestions on this story at all, feel free to give them; I'm more than happy to consider and possibly implement them, provided they don't clash with my plans for this._

_No beta reader, though I am considering getting one as I usually only see my mistakes **after** I post the chapters... _

_Other pairings in this fic for now include: GrimmNel, HitsuHina, GinRan, and IchiHime(?)_

_Thank you to Cymria, Ana cii Bunny, and Sakura Yui for reviewing. Cookies/biscuits to you~ Also, thank you for the follows and faves!  
_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach :(_

* * *

Tokyo Private Academy was Japan's top Talent school. Students with Talent were required to attend a Talent school to learn how to use and how to control their abilities. They were separated into one of five classes, depending on the level of their Talent; 1st class being the most dangerous of Talent users, and very few possessed abilities to meet the requirements of the first level. Majority of strong Talent users resided in the 2nd class. Students were marked by a silver disc engraved with a roman numeral from I to V that dangled off both shoulders, which indicated the class they were in for identification purposes.

The uniform itself was simple. A white collared shirt, a black blazer with the school logo stitched on in silk at the right breast pocket, black and grey tie, grey pants/skirt, white socks, and black shoes. The school logo was a magic circle with a traditional western sword and a katana crossed in front of it.

The academy itself was located next to the ocean and was a large and imposing mansion-like structure, large enough to house a few thousand students. The lands around the castle spanned a few acres in order for students to practice their abilities without harming civilians. Due to the material requirements of Talent users, the academy was funded both publicly and privately, the largest private funder being Espada Incorporated lead by Aizen Sousuke…

* * *

"Ugh, another year and a half and we'll finally be free!" Ichigo groaned out as he slumped over the breakfast table, face down. "I don't even want to look at the history assignment Ukitake-sensei gave us yesterday." His voice came out muffled.

"Well, if you fail, we know what happened," Renji commented nonchalantly as he chucked the black blazer on the back of the chair. He dropped down on the seat next to Ichigo, eying his plate of bacon and eggs.

"Shut up."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Ichigo, stop being mean to Renji. He's right. Goodness knows you need to improve your grades. Remember your thirty-seven on the last position paper? It's hard to believe you didn't have to repeat year ten! You should look at the assignment as soon as possible so you can work on it slowly. Come on, I'll even help you out."

The carrot-top jerked his head up, ignoring the jibe at his intelligence. "We have two weeks. I have plenty of time. Would you lay off? Besides, learning about so-called 'great' Talent users and their influence on moulding today's society is boring as hell. What's-his-face and his 'amazing fire ability' can wait until later."

"Whatever, Ichigo. Just don't come asking me for help a couple of days before it's due." Rukia spotted three of her other friends sitting down at a different table, the dark-haired one sitting and reading while the other two headed to the breakfast buffet. "I'll be back." She grabbed her bag and headed in the direction of her other friends, oblivious to the scowl Ichigo sent her way.

The petite girl quietly and stealthily made her way towards one of the tables in the corner of the dining hall. She really did enjoy bothering her stoic friend, and the surrounding people did not even pay attention as they were used to her doing such things. She snuck up behind him and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Hime-sama, I would appreciate it if you did not indulge in such menial activities," his voice quiet and bored. Ulquiorra gently pried her hands off his eyes and resumed reading.

She pouted, knowing he could not see (but she was pretty sure he knew anyway). "You're no fun, Ulquiorra." She sat down next to him, placing her bag on the seat. "And is it really so hard to say Rukia?" Really, three syllables and no hard-to-pronounce sounds (come on, Ulquiorra).

He didn't even spare a glance at her, his eyes scanning the pages. "With your mannerisms and your family, it is only appropriate to address you as such."

She rolled her eyes, shooting him a look of annoyance, which he did not see. Just because she was the second-in-line to inherit the Kuchiki Corporation did not mean she was a _princess_. So what if she was from the richest family in all of Japan that practically owned all of the media in Japan… Damn, okay, maybe the 'hime-sama' title was appropriate after all. But she didn't even do anything for the company! It was all her beloved elder brother. Oh well, at least the way he said it wasn't an insult (unlike some _other_ people; she just wanted to _castrate_ Nnoitra and his cronies every time she saw them). "Anyway, how are you this morning? Are you ready for the fitness test?" Yoruichi was rather _evil_ when it came to the fitness tests, having majority of the class on the floor in a dead heap within the first 20 minutes of the exercise.

"Fine, and the fitness test should be no problem," he replied, bored.

And it was true. Rukia envied her emerald-eyed companion. He, Grimmjow, and Nel excelled at all athletic sports/tests that were given at the academy. Maybe it just came with being a 1st class Talent since she knew Gin and Toushirou also excelled in physed. "Lucky you," she drawled sarcastically. She only wished she had _half_ the athletic ability all first class seemed to possess.

"Ru-chan!" Nel sat down opposite the pair, placing her full plate of fruits and waffles on the table in front of herself. "Good morning! Are you ready for the fitness test?"

The raven-haired female groaned loudly as she brushed some stray hair out of her eyes. "No… I don't think any amount of preparation could prepare me for Yoruichi-sensei's tests. She is such a slave-driver."

Nel giggled. "Oh, it's not that bad."

She stared at the taller girl. "For you, maybe. Don't you remember the _last_ fitness test we did? You three were the only ones still _standing_ at the end of the class."

"Maybe you just need to exercise more," Grimmjow chimed in, his plate stacked high with pancakes. As he sat, Ulquiorra placed his book down and rose to go get his food. "And before you say anything, no, it's not a first class ability or anything."

The female Kuchiki huffed. "Then what about Ichimaru-senpai and Hitsugaya-kun?"

The azure-eyed male scoffed. "First class students just get more exercise than the rest of you. They hope to tire us out so we don't explode or something." He shrugged. "You would've thought that these stupid collars were enough. Can't even grasp more than ten percent of our ability. 'Sides, any use of our power and _they_ know." He jabbed his index finger at the black band encircling his neck (Nel and Ulquiorra sported identical ones), then began wolfing down the food.

"I always wondered what you did in your first class lessons. Now I know. You just do fitness tests over and over again until you can stand after," Rukia replied with a grin.

"Yeah, well, good for us and bad for you."

Their quiet companion returned and began eating while Nel and Rukia engaged in idle chatter about school life (mainly about all the homework because who _doesn't_ vent out their frustrations at the crapload of work assigned?).

When the warning bell went off, Rukia hit her head against the table. "Ugh, I should have gone to sleep earlier yesterday. I hate physed."

* * *

_If only Rukia knew what __**really**__ went on in the first class lessons…_ Grimmjow thought idly as he studied the blueprints in front of him during the first tier class. Their 'teacher' was instructing them on the mission and any extra details not on the blueprint or in the provided files. _At least we don't have to kill anyone this time around. An item retrieval is a piece of cake, especially when they have no Talented guards._ Did nobody hire Talented guards? Well, he really shouldn't be complaining about an easy mission after all. The last time they encountered Talented guards, they ended up having to kill them all and wound up in the infirmary for a couple of days. He'd never underestimate any Talented person ever again.

"Any questions?"

"I have one, Louisenbairn-san," said Nel. When he inclined his head, she continued. "You mentioned that we needed to get a microchip, but doubtless the safe area we are breaking into contains duplicates of the real thing. Is there a way to differentiate the fakes from the real one or would we have to steal them all?"

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot." Baraggan pulled out a small device from behind the desk. The metal contraption was slightly larger than the palm of his hand and the shape resembled that of a barcode scanner. "Use this. Scan the chips and only the real one should bring up a string of numbers and data. The fakes won't set off anything. It is a genius piece of work by Aizen-sama. It works exactly like a barcode scanner, just press the grey trigger-like button to scan." He nodded approvingly as he handed it to the green-haired female.

Nel took the device and inspected it, turning it over in her hands.

The elderly man looked at the trio for a while in silence. "Well, if you have no more questions then I'll take my leave. Good luck. We await your favourable return." He picked up his briefcase and headed out the door.

Grimmjow turned to his two companions. "So we're thieves, spies, and assassins. Anything else I should add to the list?"

"I think that sums it up rather well, Grimm-chan. Though, give it a couple of years and we may end up being soldiers." Nel sighed. "Anyway, when do we have to be at the teleporter by?" She carefully put the Espada device into her bag and zipped it up.

"Ten," replied Ulquiorra. "We need to be back by one to get enough rest for tomorrow."

"Ugh, we've already had three assignments! Can't these geezers give us a break?" Grimmjow complained as he shoved the blueprints into his bag.

"I do not see why it matters to you since you sleep during class," the shorter male replied. Ulquiorra scanned the diagrams of the cross-sectioned corporate building once more, committing the plan to memory.

Infiltrating the building shouldn't be _too_ difficult. At least Grimmjow could hack into the electronic security and disable it. Though, if that failed and the blue-eyed male ended up short-circuiting the whole thing, they'd only have around 15 minutes to complete the assignment before the authorities started showing up, not to mention all the security guards would be after them. And as none of them could teleport, they would have to meet up at the rendezvous point and meet with Lilynette to transfer back to Espada headquarters. The time it would take to go from one of the branch buildings of Sereitei Industries to the rendezvous point would be around 3 minutes, give or take 30 seconds, and if he factored that in…

"Ulqui-chan, we're head outside. Are you coming?"

He folded the paper and placed it in the manila envelope in his bag. "Sure."

The plan could wait for now. After all, he had the rest of the day to come up with one.

* * *

The tanned female stood next to the soccer goal and frowned at the students in front of her. Her mauve ponytail swung from side to side as she shook her head in dismay. "Oh, come on, kids! It's only been fifteen minutes and the lot of you are on the ground!" She gestured over at the only 3 students in the class to be standing upright. "Jaegerjacquez-kun, Schiffer-kun, and Oderschvank-san are perfectly fine."

"Bloody first class setting the standards…"

"As if we can compete…"

"Fine, fine, test is over. Ten minute break. After that's over, I'm going to pair you all off and you can spar against each other." Yoruichi's proclamation was met with numerous groans and complaints. "Unless you don't want the break, then we can start now." The protests immediately stopped. So what if she was a slave driver? To her, that was the best part about being a physed teacher!

Ten minutes was too short of a break for majority of the students. They groaned as Yoruichi started to pair them off.

"Let's see… how about Rangi-kun and Jaegerjacquez-kun?"

"Aw hell," Luppi muttered as he walked over to the lightning user. "You're going down today, Grimmjow."

"I don't think so."

"Enough! Both of you just go to that corner and start." The amber-eyed teacher pointed at the corner furthest away from the academy building. "Remember, no Talents allowed! I do not want a repeat of last time, Rangi."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Yoruichi sighed. "Alright, how about… Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san, Kira-kun and Hinamori-san, Kurosaki-kun and Schiffer-kun…" She walked over to another group of students, continuing to partner everyone up.

"You again, Kurosaki? I hope you prove to be a better fight this time around," Ulquiorra stated, bored. Perhaps this would be a good time to think of a plan. Now, let's see… how could he get them in and out in less than 15 minutes?

Ichigo glared at the male in front of him, who was oh-so-obviously not paying attention to him. "Shut up, Schiffer. You won't be so lucky this time."

Apathetic green eyes met blazing brown ones. "Believe what you want. Though, I am expecting a better fight this time around as hime-sama will most likely be watching since Inoue will not be much of a challenge for her. Grimmjow tells me that having the one you like watch you improves your fighting capabilities? I shall see if that is true then."

"Wh-what?! You think I like… Hell no! Who'd like an unattractive tomboy like her?!" he practically yelled at the stoic male, attracting the attention of the students around them, one of which, unfortunately, was the Kuchiki female of discussion.

"Grimmjow says you are in a state of denial."

That fucking blue-haired bastard. Ichigo shot Grimmjow a murderous look, to which Grimmjow grinned evilly back at him mouthing the word _'de-ni-al'_. "Listen here, Schiffer-"

The jade-eyed male gestured in the direction of the petite female that was the cause of this conversation. "Before you continue, let me remind you that you have angered hime-sama with your callous remarks about her femininity. And, if you wish to repair any of the damage you have done, you should go and discuss such things with her."

"That doesn't even-"

"You are not eight anymore. Bullying a female will not get her to 'like' you in any way, shape, or form, especially not hime-sama."

"Will you let me finish already?!" Upon seeing an arched brow and the noticeable lack of Ulquiorra's voice, he continued. "I don't know where Grimmjow got that idea but I do _not_ like Rukia in that way. And why the hell are _you_ out of all people giving me relationship advice?!"

He didn't even bat an eye. "Hime-sama values your friendship. Your insensitivity hurts more than any physical wound you can inflict on her. If you really do value her, you would do best to change that, or at the very least think about that."

"And you care, why?"

"Hime-sama is an important person to me," he replied nonchalantly. "Now, you should go over and talk to her so that we can begin sparring. Shihouin-sensei is glaring in our direction."

Ichigo stared at him for a long moment. "You don't _like_ her, do you?"

"Preposterous. Now will you go over there or will we start sparring? This will be your fault if Shinouin-sensei comes over and starts lecturing us."

The carrot-top scowled and turned around, heading over to Rukia.

Ulquiorra didn't blame the taller male. It _was_ hard to believe that he even had people he cared about. Rukia was on his extremely short list of people he gave a damn about (there were only 3 people on it), and just because he cared about her well-being did _not_ mean that he was romantically interested in her. Over the past few years she had wormed her way into his usual routine and he found himself un-annoyed by her antics. She grew on him, eventually (that made her sound like a parasite of sorts), and he shook his head slightly. No, he enjoyed her company because she didn't treat him like some sort of bomb waiting to go off. It was nice to be treated like any other individual and not because of his first class Talent (the way others were careful and nervous around him did not go unnoticed). Rukia was important to him because she was the first and only friend he had made after Grimmjow and Nel.

And he, as he would for Grimmjow and Nel, would protect Rukia as best as he could.

* * *

_A/N: Don't worry, they'll fight in the next chapter._


End file.
